Chapter 4. In vitro callus multiplication, regeneration and microcorm induction in Amorphophallus paeoniifolius

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1 Chapter 4 70

2 Chapter 4 In vitro callus multiplication, regeneration and microcorm induction in Amorphophallus paeoniifolius 4.1 Introduction The high incidence of mosaic disease, corm dormancy and non-availability of quality planting materials are the major production constraints in A. paeoniifolius (Khan et al. 2006; Venkatram et al. 2007). The use of disease free planting material can be a cultural measure of immediate success as proved in many previous studies (Hollings 1965). High quality planting materials of A. paeoniifolius can be obtained through tissue culture but the method, specifically the process of regeneration is far from being routine due to its recalcitrant nature (Mukherjee et al. 2001). And also the plant being a stem tuber and the corm bud being one of the most studied explant, obtaining contamination free starter cultures is the most challenged part in the tissue culture. However tissue culture of A. paeoniifolius has been achieved earlier with limited success (Irawati et al. 1986; Anil et al. 2012). In the present study, an efficient in vitro callus multiplication and regeneration protocol from corm bud, petiole and leaf explants in A. paeoniifolius was developed. The callus cultures were used as a source for microcorm induction for enhanced mass propagation of this plant. 4.2 Materials and Methods Plant material The source plants of A. paeoniifolius cultivar Gajendra were grown in open field of ICAR-CTCRI, Sreekariyam. Corm buds, petiole and young leaves collected from the field grown plants were used as explants Establishment of aseptic starter cultures Apical buds as well as lateral dormant buds of field grown corms of A. paeoniifolius were rinsed under running tap water for 30 min and surface sterilized 71

3 with 0.1% (w/v) bavistin for 30 min followed by 0.05% (w/v) streptomycin for 1h, 0.1% (w/v) HgCl 2 for 1 min and 70% (v/v) ethanol for 1 min. The petiole and leaf explants were surface sterilized with bavistin (0.1% w/v) for 1h followed by streptomycin (0.05% w/v) for 1h, HgCl 2 (0.1% w/v) for 5 min and ethanol (70% v/v) for 1 min. Each treatment was followed by washing three times with sterile water. As an alternative, one step surface sterilization procedure by flaming the unopened leaves covered by cataphylls with absolute alcohol was done to get petiole and young leaf explants. The explants were inoculated on modified Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium (Murashige and Skoog 1962) with half the concentration of NH 4 NO 3 and KNO 3 supplemented with different plant growth regulators (PGRs). The medium used in the in vitro studies is given in Appendix III Effect of different PGRs on callus induction Modified MS medium supplemented with various combinations of 6- benzylaminopurine (BAP), α-naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) and 2,4-dichloro phenoxy acetic acid (2,4-D) were used for callus induction. For each treatment, 25 explants each of corm buds, petioles and young leaves were used. The experiments were repeated thrice for reproducibility and accuracy. All components of the medium including 3% sucrose and PGRs were mixed and adjusted to ph 5.6 prior to adding 0.7% plant agar for solidifying the media. The cultures were incubated under light intensity of 2500 lux with 16 h light and 8 h dark cycle. The temperature was maintained at 25 ± 2 C throughout the incubation period. Observation on the days to callusing, callusing % and the nature of callus were recorded. The effect of PGRs on Growth Index (GI) was calculated by taking 10 sets of callus cultures obtained from different explants. Calli were cut into pieces to make the initial fresh weight (FW) 100 mg and the GI was recorded after 60 days of growth. The GI was calculated as GI = (Final callus FW - Initial callus FW)/ Initial callus FW Shoot regeneration from callus and in vitro rooting Shoot regeneration was optimised by culturing the calli on modified MS medium with various combinations of BAP and NAA in the ratio 5:1 along with 72

4 control (without PGRs). For each treatment, 24 sets of calli of FW 250 mg were used and the days taken for shoot initiation, number of shoots per mass of calli and percentage response was recorded. Rooting of the regenerated shoots was attempted on regeneration medium as well as on modified MS medium supplemented with various auxins. Trials with liquid medium instead of agar solidified medium were carried out for rooting Microcorm induction A total of 20 callus mass of size 1 cm 2 were inoculated on optimal shoot regeneration medium supplemented with various concentrations of sucrose ranging from 1-10% to induce microcorms. The experiment was repeated twice. Subculture of microcorms was done in every 60 days. Survival rate of microcorms, rooted or unrooted, on hardening was recorded Acclimatization and hardening Well rooted plantlets as well as rooted/unrooted microcorms were removed from the culture bottle and were treated with 0.2 % bavistin for 5 min. The unrooted microcorms were treated ex vitro with 5.0 mg l -1 Indole 3-butyric acid (IBA) for 5 min. Transplantation was done on potting mixture (soil: sand: coir pith, 1:1:1, v/v/v). The plantlets were kept covered in trays/pots using transparent poly covers with holes and were allowed to grow in the net house. After a week, or when the plants started showing signs of healthy growth, the plants were transferred to normal external environmental conditions, but in shade. The plants were thereafter transferred to soil kept in pots or in the field. Survival rate of the in vitro hardened plants were recorded Statistical Analyses Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and comparison of the mean value of different treatments using Least Significant Difference (LSD) were performed using the SAS software (SAS 2010). 73

5 4.3 Results and Discussion Initiation and multiplication of callus from different explants The cultivar Gajendra was selected for the in vitro propagation studies as it is most popular variety characterized by non-acrid, smooth corm and high yield (Anil et al. 2012). The method of surface sterilisation followed for corm bud, petiole and leaf explants of A. paeoniifolius proved to be effective in getting 70% of contamination free cultures. The method of alcohol flaming proved to be effective in getting 75% aseptic starter cultures from leaf and petiole explants, thus avoiding long steps of surface sterilisation normally followed for these explants. On MS medium irrespective of the explants, necrosis and yellowing was prominent in the initial stages of development, which inhibited the callus induction and further growth. The problem was overcome by using modified MS medium with half the concentration of NH 4 NO 3 and KNO 3. The positive effect of altered concentrations of NH 4 NO 3 and KNO 3 on in vitro culture growth has been reported in tobacco (Ramage and Williams 2002), Gossypium hirusutum (Ikram-ul-Haq and Zafar 2004), Azadirachta indica (Srinidhi et al. 2008) and Dendrocalamus giganteus (Yasodha et al. 2010). The tissue culture response of A. paeoniifolius differed with the explant type as well as with the combinations of PGRs used in the medium. Small sprouts initially appeared from the corm bud explants which then bulged leading to callus initiation (Fig. 4.1 a). Enormous bulging followed by callus initiation was observed in petiole and leaf explants (Figs. 4.1 b and 4.1 c). Time taken for callus initiation and the percentage of explants responded differed significantly depending on the explant type and the combinations of PGRs used (Table 4.1). The use of 2,4-D alone in the medium resulted in callus induction in corm bud explant within 56 days while it failed to induce callus from other explants. Callus was inducted from corm bud, petiole and leaf explants in 21, 29 and 59 days time respectively with a callusing percentage ranging from depending on the explant type on medium supplemented with 0.5 mg l -1 each of BAP and NAA. The BA/NAA combination has been used with great success in the 74

6 callus induction of Amorphophallus spp. (Hu and Liu 2008; Anil et al. 2012). A combination of all the 3 PGRs (BAP, NAA and 2,4-D) in 0.25 mg l -1 concentration resulted in increased callusing % in petiole and leaf explants. However the combination was not effective in the case of corm buds. The increase in the concentration of all the 3 PGRs from 0.25 mg l -1 to 0.5 mg l -1 decreased the callus initiation time and increased the callusing %. Thus modified MS medium supplemented with 0.5 mg l -1 each of BAP, NAA and 2,4-D (Callus Induction medium or CIM) was found to be optimal for callus induction as well as callus multiplication and was therefore used in further studies. Yellowish white or pink friable callus was initiated within days of inoculation from corm bud, petiole and leaf explants on CIM (Fig 4.1 d). In an earlier report, it took more than weeks for callus induction from apical bud explants of the crop with limited survival/multiplication rate while the petiole gave rise to callus in a month time (Anil et al. 2012). The effect of PGRs on the nature of callus and GI recorded is shown in Table Irrespective of the explant type, GI as high as 8 was observed on callus induction medium. While on MS media with half the concentration of PGRs (0.25 mg l -1 each of BAP, NAA and 2, 4- D), the GI was markedly reduced to ~ 3 and did not differ significantly with the explant type. When 0.5 mg l -1 of BAP and NAA was used without 2,4-D, the GI decreased to 2.5 in all the 3 different explants. Medium without any of the 3 PGRs either failed to induce callus or if induced showed reduced GI. Hence, for A. paeoniifolius, irrespective of the explants, the combination of the 3 PGRs (BAP, NAA, 2,4-D) at 0.5 mg l -1 concentration is essential for callus induction with enhanced GI. In A. konjac also friable calli was induced when appropriate combinations of BAP, NAA and 2,4-D was used, although the callus induction rate was as low as 35.5% (Zhao et al. 2012). Subculture of callus was done in 60 days interval on CIM. 75

7 Fig. 4.1: Response of different explants of A. paeoniifolius a. sprouted corm bud, b. enlarged petiole, c. expanded leaf, d. Callus 76

8 Table 4.1: Effect of PGRs on callusing response of different explants of A. paeoniifolius PGRs in modified MS media (mg l -1 ) Days to callus induction % Callusing BAP NAA 2,4-D Corm bud Petiole Leaf Corm bud Petiole Leaf a d b a a 72 b 40 c 20 c a e a e b a b 60 c 56 b 48 b c b c 88 a 72 a 60 a Means with a same letter within a column do not differ significantly according to the LSD test (p 0.05) following ANOVA using the SAS system 77

9 Table 4.2: Effect of PGRs on callus nature and growth index (GI) of different explants of A. paeoniifolius PGRs in modified MS media (mg l -1 ) Nature of callus GI after 60 days (100mg Initial FW) BAP NAA 2,4-D Corm bud Petiole Leaf Corm bud Petiole Leaf NC NC NC NC NC NC NC NC NC W,C W, C W, C 2.25 d W/P, C W/P, C W/P, C 2.58 c 2.38 c 2.51 c W, C/F W, C W, C 2.17 d W, Pu/F W, Pu W, Pu 1.32 e YW, F YW, F YW, F 3.00 b 2.90 b 3.08 b YW/P, F YW/P, F YW/P, F 8.83 a 8.83 a 8.47 a Means with a same letter within a column do not differ significantly according to the LSD test (p 0.05) following ANOVA using the SAS system. NC- Callus not induced, W-White, P-Pink, YW-Yellowish white, C-Compact, Pu-Puffy, F-Friable 78

10 4.3.2 Shoot regeneration from friable callus Vigorous growth followed by emergence of greenish micro shoot like structures was observed within days when friable calli were sub cultured on MS medium augmented with various combinations of BAP and NAA in the ratio 5:1 (Table 4.3). Somatic embryos developed within days on the same medium (Fig. 4.2 a) which followed the micro shoot appearance. The length of somatic embryos ranged from 2-8mm. The friable nature of callus was found to be essential for somatic embryo induction. For somatic embryogenesis, no special incubation was required; as against the necessity of dark incubation in many crops including A. paeoniifolius (Ozias-Akins and Vasil 1983; Compton 1999; Anil et al. 2012). There was no significant difference (at p 0.05) between the response of calli developed from different explants on further growth and plant regeneration. The medium devoid of any of PGRs (basal medium) failed in shoot regeneration, while there was a steady increase in the shooting % with increase in the concentrations of BAP and NAA in the 5:1 combination from an initial concentration of 1 mg l -1 BAP and 0.2 mg l -1 NAA. The days for shoot initiation decreased from 38 to 24 with the increase in the BAP: NAA concentration from 1: 0.2 to 5:1. However a further increase in the concentration did not show any improvement in the shooting %. Thus modified MS medium containing 5.0 mg l -1 BAP and 1.0 mg l -1 NAA (Shoot Regeneration or SR medium) was found to be optimum for shoot regeneration (Fig. 4.2 b) of up to 95%. On SR medium, a mean shoot number of 22 with an average shoot length of 6 were recorded in 3 months. The maximum shoot regeneration percentage reported so far is 78% in A. albus, (Hu et al. 2008) on medium containing BAP and NAA in 4:1 ratio. In the present study, the number of shoots produced depended on the callus subculture rate rather than the number of explants. Shoots of length 3-9 cm developed within a period of 3 months (Fig. 4.2 c). The callus from lateral bud explants of A. campanulatus yielded less number of plantlets as well as shooting percentage even after a prolonged period of culture (Irawati et al. 1986). 79

11 Table 4.3: Effect of combination of PGRs on in vitro shoot regeneration in A. paeoniifolius from callus Medium No. PGRs (mg l -1 ) Days to shoot initiation BA NAA % Shooting Mean No. of shoots per cluster Mean shoot length (cm) Control a g 1.33 f 3.83 c b d 7.33 e 4.25 b bcde d 9.00 d 3.25 d f b b 3.67 c g a a 6.17 a e c c 0.70 e de f c 0.29 f cde f c 0.27 f bcd e 9.00 d 0.22 f bc e 9.00 d 0.19 f Means with a same letter within a column do not differ significantly according to the LSD test (p 0.05) following ANOVA using the SAS system 80

12 Fig. 4.2: Shoot regeneration in A. paeoniifolius a. Somatic embryos (bar = 2 mm), b. shoot initials arising from callus, c. in vitro shoot clusters 81

13 In A. paeoniifolius, a maximum of 15 shoots per segmented explant or 2-3 shoots per whole explant were obtained through direct organogenesis by Mukherjee et al. (2009). The method explained in this study is efficient in producing about plants per subculture per 250 mg callus. Thus the number of planting materials available from a single explant depends on the subculture frequency. The corm bud was found to be the most suitable explant for mass production in A. paeoniifolius due to its high callusing % and less time for plantlet establishment as against the previous reports on the need of long retention time in medium for positive response (Anil et al. 2012) In vitro rooting and transplantation of plantlets to soil In about 50% of the cultures, roots developed on the SR medium itself after 60 days. But the root length as well as the root number was enhanced when a separate rooting media was used. The inclusion of 5 mg l -1 NAA or IBA in the modified basal MS medium increased the rooting % to 80 and 100 respectively. The days to root was decreased from 60 to 8 with the supplementation of IBA in the medium. Therefore, modified MS medium augmented with 5.0 mg l -1 IBA (Rooting or Ro medium) was found to be the most potent rooting medium for A. paeoniifolius (Table 4.4). A mean number of 21 roots with an average root length of 5 were recorded in 25 days. IBA had been reported to be the most favourable root inducer compared to Indole 3-acetic acid (IAA) and NAA in Malus domestica (Caboni and Tonelli 1999) and Bambus anutans (Yasodha et al. 2008). IBA acts as a slow release reservoir of a more easily metabolized auxin, whereas NAA, blocks the root emergence as it remains in the tissue in free form due to its stable nature (Fogaca and Fett-Neto 2005). However in A. konjac, NAA proved to be efficient in root induction (Zhao et al. 2012). The number of roots obtained in the present study is much better than those reported in previous studies on this plant (Mukherjee et al. 2009). The use of liquid medium in the rooting phase considerably decreased the time required in agar removal and post hardening contamination (due to the presence of poorly removed agar from finely honed root hairs). The rooted plants are shown in Fig. 4.3 a. It takes approximately 7 months from explant inoculation to reach the hardening stage. Poor survival rates of the plant on hardening have so far been reported in this plant (Anil et al. 2012). However in the present study, a 82

14 survival rate of 100% was observed when the plants were transferred to sand: soil: coir pith mixture (Fig. 4.3 b). The hardened plants were maintained in the net house, ICAR-CTCRI (Fig. 4.3 c). Fig. 4.3: Rooting and hardening of A. paeoniifolius a. In vitro roots, b. Hardened plant, c. tissue culture plants maintained in Net house, ICAR-CTCRI 83

15 Table 4.4: Effect of auxins on rooting in A. paeoniifolius under in vitro conditions PGRs (mg l -1 ) Days to root initiation % Rooting No. of Roots Mean root length (cm) BA NAA IBA a 50 c 8.55 c 3.81 b b 80 b 13.3 b 3.52 b c 100 a 20.9 a 5.07 a Means with a same letter within a column do not differ significantly according to the LSD test (p 0.05) following ANOVA using the SAS system Microcorm induction The callus proliferated enormously on SR medium supplemented with 1% and 2% sucrose while there was a tendency towards the plant regeneration with 3% sucrose. Pink, offwhite or dark brown microcorms were induced as hard globular structures in between friable callus in SR medium with sucrose concentrations between 3 and 7% (Fig. 4.4 a). They were induced with a frequency of 90% on SR medium supplemented with 5% sucrose while it was only 10% with 3 or 4% sucrose. With 6% sucrose, the induction % was 70 whereas with 7%, there was a tendency to microcorm enlargement rather than its multiplication. The sucrose concentrations beyond 7% lead to darkening of the callus while 10% sucrose was detrimental to growth. Various studies show the importance of sucrose concentration in microcorm/tuber induction (Dantu and Bhojwani 1995; Gopal et al. 1998; Sinha and Roy 2002). In Amorphophallus spp., the concentrations of PGRs were reported to play a role in the formation of corm-like structures (CLS) (Liu et al. 2001; Hu et al. 2006; Anil et al. 2012) rather than the sucrose concentration as shown in this study. CLS had been observed on organogenic calli derived from the petioles of A. albus and A. paeoniifolius in vitro (Hu and Liu 2008; Anil et al. 2012). However, a 84

16 prolonged retention time in the medium was required for the CLS formation in the callus derived from corm bud explants (Irawati et al. 1986; Anil et al. 2012). The microcorms were separated from the callus and subcultured on the SR medium (Fig. 4.4 b). They enlarged when kept on the same medium for more than 60 days. The enlargement was enormous when the sucrose concentration in the SR medium was increased from 3 to 5%. However for microshoot regeneration, the normal sucrose concentration (3%) remained the best. The large sized microcorms were cut into pieces for further multiplication. They were capable of producing microshoots all over the surface (Fig. 4.4 c). The sliced microcorms revealed a structure similar to the normal corms of A. paeoniifolius (Fig. 4.4 d). The microcorms as such or with plantlets rooted within 15 days when kept on liquid Ro medium (Fig. 4.4 e). In A. albus, rooting percentage of in vitro corm like structures was not significantly affected by the presence of auxins (Hu and Liu 2008). The rooted microcorms without shoots and the unrooted ones dipped in 5 mg l -1 IBA gave rise to plant clusters on transfer to soil (Fig. 4.4 f). Rooting and survival of hardened microcorms was 100%. 4.4 Conclusion A high frequency in vitro mass propagation of A. paeoniifolius, a stem tuber crop, using different explants was developed. The protocol is explained pictorially in Fig This study is the first of such type to report on shoot regeneration via friable embryogenic callus as well as microcorm induction in this plant. The corm bud explant was found more suitable for mass production due to its high callusing % and less time for plantlet establishment. Microcorms enhanced the number of plantlets and are easy to propagate bypassing the shoot regeneration phase. In vitro propagation of different accessions of A. paeoniifolius and their field release would greatly increase the availability of quality planting material and thereby increase the yield. The present study can be extended for virus elimination and transformation for inducing desirable traits in this plant. As the protocol was found efficient in producing large number of plantlets from less number of explants, it can be commercially exploited for medicinal purpose as well as for its value addition. 85

17 Fig. 4.4: Microcorms of A. paeoniifolius a. Microcorm, b. Subculture of microcorms, c. shoots arising all over the surface, d. sliced microcorms showing similarity to corm, e. plantlet arising from microcorm, f. development of shoot clusters on hardening of microcorms 86

18 2 months 1 month Lateral bud-sprouted Friable callus Microshoot 2 months 1 month 1 month Hardened plant In vitro rooting In vitro plants Fig. 4.5: Flow chart depicting the various stages of in vitro multiplication of A. paeoniifolius 87